


and the songbirds are singing, like they know the score. and i love you, i love you, i love you like never before

by teddysbear



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Fluff, Gay, M/M, Stenbrough, gosh it's like the sappiest thing i've ever written, mlm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:48:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22220584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddysbear/pseuds/teddysbear
Summary: A drabble based off of a headcanon I had that Stanley sleeps over with Bill after Georgie disappears because he doesn't like spending his nights alone.
Relationships: Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris
Comments: 7
Kudos: 113





	and the songbirds are singing, like they know the score. and i love you, i love you, i love you like never before

**Author's Note:**

> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tMMxduLrUwHwMi7vnAvEL?si=2GULjOYqTt6yan2HOSaxIw 
> 
> ^ link to the stenbrough playlist i made and listened to while writing this

Bill Denbrough had a lot of trouble sleeping after Georgie disappeared. He often sat upright in his bed all night, head in his palms as he kept reimagining the rainy day in October, wishing he could go back in time and just go outside to play with his little brother, damn it. He was lazy. He was stupid. He was selfish. He killed his brother. 

His friends always told him that it wasn’t his fault,  _ how could you have known? _ But Bill knew they were just saying that to make him feel better. He was a murderer and he was afraid that his selfishness would kill his friends too. 

It’s been three years since he died, and Bill never felt so alone. 

His parents were never the most nurturing towards him, and their distance only grew after the incident. Bill was sure that they knew it was his fault. It was only a matter of time before they kicked him out. He deserved it, afterall. He couldn’t stand to see his own face, and it seemed that his parents felt the same way. They never looked at him. 

A sudden bang on his window pulled him out of his thoughts. He checked the time - 2:17 am. Stanley must have been able to sneak out. 

He looked outside his window, and sure enough a head of neat curls was standing at his street, another rock in hand ready to throw. Bill waved before carefully making his way downstairs, careful not to wake his parents. 

Stanley snuck out of his house whenever he could to come comfort Bill. The two lived very close together (only a 5 minute bike ride) and he was the only one that Bill felt comfortable being vulnerable around. Stanley never idolized him as a “flawless leader” like the rest of the group did, and that made Bill less afraid to break down in front of him. He valued their friendship more than anything else. 

The two of them silently tip-toed upstairs back into Bill’s room, and Stanley grabbed a pair of pajamas to change into from his drawer in Bill’s dresser (he hated biking in pajamas - he worried he would get mud on the hem of his linen pants). 

“Th-t-thank you f-f-for coming over,” Bill whispered. 

“Always.”

Stanley snuck out of his house almost every night to come to Bill’s house (except for times he was caught), and more often than not the two of them found themselves talking all night instead of sleeping. Bill greatly preferred talking to Stanley over being alone with his thoughts. 

On nights they did sleep, though, Stanley and Bill would sleep with their backs pressed against each other. That was how Georgie would sleep with Bill after he had a nightmare. Tonight wasn’t a restless night for the two of them. Stanley got into the bed first, and Bill followed before reaching down to pull the quilt over the two of them. 

“Are you tired tonight?” Stan spoke softly, his voice slightly raspy. Bill’s stomach filled with butterflies. 

Bill nodded. “Yeah, I’m g-going to close my eyes.”

“Goodnight, Bill.”

“G-g-goodnight S-stan.”

Bill always found comfort in how warm Stanley’s back was. He also liked it when their hands accidentally touched in the middle of the night. He didn’t tell Stan this. He didn’t want to scare him off. 

Stanley was always warm, which shocked Bill at first, though he wasn’t sure why. He had always seen Stanley as such an ideal, perfect, neat, put-together person, yet he never wondered how warm his skin was. He didn’t know why he didn’t wonder about Stanley’s warmth before. 

He found himself in constant search for Stanley’s approval - his opinion mattered the most to Bill. Stanley wasn’t afraid to point out the flaws in Bill’s plans, or the lack of logic behind his emotions and if those words ever came from any other person Bill would feel personally insulted. Stanley never hurt his feelings, though. In fact, he did the opposite. He calmed him down. 

The two were never “best friends” (Stan had Richie and Bill had Mike), but the two felt a connection deeper than that. Bill wasn’t sure what defined a soulmate, but he thought that Stan was pretty damn close to one. He was the last person that Bill wanted to lose.

Bill closed his eyes as he felt the bones of Stan’s spine grind into his own. He felt his body surge with a peculiar mixture of both heat and cold when he focused on Stan’s body against his own. Bill moved his hand to the side of his thigh, only ever-so-slightly closer to the curly haired boy. He hoped that he would get the hint. 

Bill let his hand linger for what felt like days, tightly closing his eyes as he willed Stanley to feel his movement and match it. He carefully moved his hand a little farther back to rest barely behind his thigh. He practically jumped as he felt bony fingertips meet his own. Both boys stopped breathing.

Was Stan trying the same thing too? Or was that just a comfortable resting spot for his hand? 

They stayed still for years. 

  
  


Bill let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and moved his fingers down Stanley’s half an inch. Stanley barely moved his to the side. It would be so easy for Bill to interlock their fingers. Neither one of them moved. 

Was that what Stanley wanted? What if he was trying to move his hand away? What if he was waiting for Bill to move away? Was this a test? 

“Do you want to hold hands?” Stanley’s voice cracked, startling both boys as his words were quite louder than intended. 

Bill quickly moved his hand to hold Stanley’s, squeezing his eyes shut tighter than ever before. Stanley smiled. Bill felt his hands sweat and he internally cursed at himself.  _ Gross. _ Everything about this was so messy and jumbled and new and Dear G-d, Bill loved it. 

But was this just platonic? Was Stan just doing this to comfort him?  _ Oh no.  _ What if Bill was reading the signs all wrong?

His thoughts were interrupted by Stan letting go of his hand.  _ Shit.  _

“I-i-i’m s-suh-sorry,” Bill started to turn around only to have his forehead crash against Stan’s.

The two of them profusely apologized, forgetting about whispering as their apologies turned into giggles. Bill realized Stanley let go of his hand so he could be closer to Bill, not because he wanted to move away. His heart fluttered. 

Once the two of them stopped laughing, the reality of how close their faces were slapped the two boys in the face. They were close enough to smell the mint toothpaste on each other’s breaths and Bill could easily count Stan’s eyelashes. _And_ Jesus, _his eyelashes were pretty._   
  


Bill could see the gears grinding behind Stan’s warm, brown eyes, and Bill could barely see himself through them in the dim light too. 

The two stared at each other for quite some time, both shocked at how close they were and completely aware of the vulnerability of the other. 

It didn’t take long for Bill’s eyes to wander down to Stan’s lips. They were typically so smooth and soft but tonight they were - 

“Chapped.”

“Sorry?” Stan smiled softly in amusement. 

“Y-y-your lips are c-chapped.” Bill didn’t care enough to whisper anymore. His voice filled the room. 

“Can I kiss you?” Stanley spoke without thinking. His heart pounded out of his chest and Bill didn’t hesitate for a second before bringing his lips softly to meet Stan’s. 

Bill dreamt about this moment since his freshman year of high school. 

Stanley tasted like stale toothpaste and peach tea. A combination Bill didn’t think would go well together, but they tasted wonderful on his lips. Stanley gently brought his hand up to cup Bill’s cheek, the tips of his slender fingers resting around his ears. He was so gentle and soft with Bill. It made him melt. 

Bill, on the other hand, was a hot fucking mess. His hand that wasn’t underneath him hovered in the air above the other boy, unsure of where to rest and flailing around at an alarming speed for a kiss so slow and soft. His heart was pouring into Stanley at a velocity he wasn’t ready for - especially after thinking he was never deserving of love. 

Bill had kissed Beverly before, but that made him realize he loved her as a friend (which was a mutual discovery between the two of them). That kiss was small and short and didn’t make Bill’s chest feel like it was ready to explode at any given moment. 

This kiss was so different. 

He didn’t know how to move his lips (he felt like a fish with the way his mouth kept opening and closing). On the contrary, Stanley seemed to know  _ exactly _ what he was doing (not that Bill was complaining). 

Stanley was the first to pull away, leaving both boys out of breath. Bill forgot to open his eyes for a few seconds afterwards. 

“Are you okay, Bill?”

“Y-y-yeah,” he smiled, opening his eyes to meet Stanley’s. “Mo-more than okay.”

Stanley kissed Bill on the tip of his nose, which somehow had even  _ more  _ of an impact on Bill than their two minute kiss did. Bill moved to return the favor, and Stanley quickly responded by moving his chin up ever so slightly so their lips met again for a brief second. This took Bill by surprise as they burst out into laughter. 

Bill’s heart has never felt so full. 

Stanley brought his hand back up to Bill’s cheek, creating a storm of butterflies and fireworks from his stomach to his throat. 

“I r-r-really li-like you, Stanley.” Stanley gulped. Bill didn’t know why he was so nervous to say this. They just made out a few seconds prior. 

“It’s about time,” Stanley laughed softly. “How long have you felt this way?” 

“Two years. Y-you?”

“Since sixth grade.” 

Five years. 

Bill’s eyes widened. “H-h-how have I n-not…”

“You aren’t the most observant person.”

“Okay... fair.” They both giggled. 

The two layed there in silence for a while, taking turns closing their eyes and opening them to smile at each other every few minutes. Bill didn’t know you could have conversations without speaking.

He also didn’t know that silence could be so peaceful. 

Stanley was the first to fall asleep, but that didn’t stop Bill from giving him soft kisses all over his face. He swore he saw Stan smile softly one time, and it made him warm for quite some time. 

Bill eventually closed his eyes too, sleeping well for the first time in years as he drifted off to sleep with his hand intertwined tightly with Stan’s. He had a feeling he was going to be sleeping a lot better from now on.

**Author's Note:**

> I listened to Songbird by Fleetwood Mac on repeat while thinking about this so here are the lyrics!
> 
> For you, there'll be no more crying.  
> For you, the sun will be shining.  
> And I feel that when I'm with you,  
> It's alright, I know it's right.
> 
> To you, I'll give the world.  
> To you, I'll never be cold.  
> 'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,  
> It's alright, I know it's right.
> 
> And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score.  
> And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before.
> 
> And I wish you all the love in the world.  
> But most of all, I wish it from myself.
> 
> And the songbirds keep singing, like they know the score  
> And I love you, I love you, I love you  
> Like never before, like never before, like never before.


End file.
